SAICFF Tuesday Report

Today was the second day of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Academy (SAICFA). This year, the academy is equipped with automatic voting systems, and the day began with about 15 minutes of polling and research. Some surprising results: over 50% of attendees aren’t currently working on a project. 7% came to look for new films to finance. Another highlight of the day was Justin Tolley’s lecture called, “I once was at Lost, but now am found.” Here, he discussed the difference between working on the set of Lost, and working on the set of Courageous. The evening Keynote was split between retired advertising executive Tryg Jacobson and Doug Phillips. First, Tryg delivered an eye-opening lecture on branding for filmmakers. The key word of branding is trust: making and keeping promises. He also discussed the power of “mental real estate”—how companies can corner a certain word, like Volvo owns “safe” or Heinz meaning “thick.” Then, Doug Phillips spoke on the need for action, and not just story. Here are some quotes:

“This is my father’s world—you may not take it!”“Don’t pretend to be an expert on a subject you don’t own.”“The reason some of us don’t write well is that we don’t study well.”“There are no bench warmers in the Army of God.”